


The End of the Beginning

by mollyscribbles



Category: Bomb Girls
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-24
Updated: 2013-12-24
Packaged: 2018-01-06 00:03:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1100108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mollyscribbles/pseuds/mollyscribbles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The tide is turning, and Kate Andrews takes her chance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The End of the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chicagoartnerd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chicagoartnerd/gifts).



The night air was cool and fresh; though Betty had always found the city stifling compared to the farm she grew up on, tonight it felt as beautiful as a spring morning upwind from the cow pasture.

Though perhaps it was the company that made the difference. Betty and Kate approached the boarding house, arm in arm. 

Betty smiled over at Kate, separating long enough to hold the door. ”We have to find a way to thank Gladys for hiring that lawyer. I mean, sure, it’s obvious we were only defending ourselves from your dad, but it takes a good lawyer to make sure the judge gets that. We’re lucky to have her.”

"We’re lucky for a lot of things, Betty. I’m lucky to have you." Kate said, then fell silent until they'd reached Betty’s room. "That night we were out on bail … I wanted to tell you something, but wasn’t sure how to say it. But now I think I do."

"What is it, Kate?" said Betty, as they both sat on the foot of her bed.

"The thing is … for so long, my father controlled me. I wasn’t allowed to like things he didn’t approve of, so I convinced myself that I didn’t really want silk stockings, or to sing something that wasn’t a hymn. And I convinced myself I wasn’t attracted to anyone, because lust is a sin. But that was Marion, and when I became Kate, I let myself like things. I bought records, I wore the silk stockings Gladys gave me, and I … I’d done such a good job of convincing myself that I didn’t really know what I liked. I said once, I like to know what I like, and that’s not always an easy thing. Not when you’ve had it beaten into that you’re not allowed to like anything."

Kate fidgeted slightly, and Betty reached to gently cradle her hand.

"I’ve always thought women were pretty, but I didn’t think anything of it. Even just wanting to be like them would have been wrong, given everything my father yelled at — anyway. When I met you, everything changed. I just knew I wanted to be closer to you. I didn’t even realize why until it was too late, after he’d taken me away again. He told me how I’d been infected with sin, and … I realized he was right. And it wasn’t until after I’d come back home that I realized love is never a sin. I thought I was too late. After the horrible things I said … I thought you could never love me again. So I tried to move on, tried to love Ivan. And he was nice, but … I don’t think he was the one either of us wanted to be with."

She took a deep breath before continuing, not allowing herself to look to Betty's face to see how she was responding. ”And that night, when we were holding hands, I realized you still loved me. It — it was like that book Reggie lent me, till that moment I never knew myself. I could have said something, but I was scared. It was enough to just hold your hand.”

Betty stared down at their fingers, which had become entwined without either of them noticing. “Kate …”

"Betty, I love you. I’m in love with you. But I’m not really sure how to do this. Can we take our time, take things slow?"

"I love you, too, Kate. We’ve got all the time in the world. Take all you need."

So they just cuddled that night and smooched a little and it was adorable. They talked things out more in the days to come and didn’t have sex until they were both completely ready and not a minute before. They agreed that combining their savings would increase their odds on getting that home loan and they did and they bought a house together where they lived and rented out rooms to independent working women; while this didn’t go quite so smoothly after the war ended, they always managed to get by.

Kate’s mother was a bit reluctant at first but ended up taking a “Well, at least this one you can be honest with” view of things and came to visit with Kate’s brothers every Christmas. Gladys stayed their good friend and made sure they were bridesmaids, along with Vera, all three times she got married.

Lorna was pretty cool with the whole thing overall, and continued to be Work Mom even after they weren’t technically working together. She and Bob managed to work things out, and their second twenty years together were happier than the first twenty.

Teresa Hill tracked down Betty after the war; it was awkward until both confessed they’d moved on — Teresa had met a nice girl who’d been knocked up by her ex on her next assignment and they really clicked together — and they were both happy for each other and exchanged Christmas cards and stuff.

Finally, in 2003, Betty and Kate were married in the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto. Kate wore a dress and Betty wore a tux, and Gladys made jokes about Betty finally making an honest woman out of Kate. 

They lived happily ever after.

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry for this. It was a pinch hit and my family kept interrupting and now the power's flickering so I wrapped it up quickly. I throw myself on your mercy.


End file.
